Author Archives: Brendan Holba
Baseball Cards In The Pros: 4/16 – 4/22
There were a couple of movers this week in the ranks as Matt Koch went up to the Big Leagues and started a game for the Arizona Diamondbacks twirling 6 solid innings of 2 hit baseball.
Male High School’s very own, Jeff Arnold was moved all the way up from A (advanced) to AAA in the Giants organization. While the jury is still out on how the Tampa Bay Rays will utilize Brendan McKay at the Major League Level last years 4th overall pick is continuing to impress in the Midwest League. If you live in Bowling Green or can get there you should watch him play for the Hot Rods before his inevitable move up the minor league latter occurs. Kade McClure continues to be the definition of consistency as he picked up 2 more wins this week with the Kannapolis Intimidators.
Cards In The Pros: April 16th Update
It’s cold in the Midwest and New England, and probably a lot of places that it shouldn’t be on April 16th. It’s hard to tell by the look of things outside but we are in fact about a month into Spring. The old saying goes April showers bring May flowers; I wonder what April snow brings? Regardless of the weather, some of the Cardinal 9 Alumni are heating up.
Inaugural Regular Season Update
The baseball season is officially upon us. Even though it is snowing in parts of the country and the Chicago Cubs home opener was postponed because of the snow, baseball is back!
The Major Leagues have been back for over a week now and in the last few days the different levels of the Minor Leagues have kick started their seasons as well. Within the first week of the 2018 season five Cardinal 9 alumni were on Major League rosters and contributing to their teams. As the season continues look for more and more to make their way to the show as 12 others have begun this season in either AA or AAA.
At the A level Blake Tiberi is back from injury and dominating the pitching in the early going and arguably the best college baseball player ever, Brendan McKay, is back and doing Brendan McKay things. Since the 2007 season the University of Louisville baseball team has become a collegiate juggernaut with an impressive pipeline into the professional ranks. Kudos to Coach Mac and his staff, along with the hard work and determination of these individuals.
Final Spring Training Update
Opening Day 2018 is now upon us. In my opinion, it should be a national holiday; baseball is, after all, America’s past time. A lot of football fans may debate me on that and my argument would be to simply quote James Earl Jones’ monologue in “Field of Dreams.” The game is a symbol of who we are deep down. Until the final, out is made everyone is given their due. There is no taking a knee to run out the clock in baseball. This year on Opening Day there will be a few more Cardinal 9 Alumni gracing the diamond than there were at this time last year. A testament to the tremendous job Coach Mac has done and the outstanding work these guys have put in on their own.
This week’s alumni spotlight shines on Cherokee, Iowa native Cody Ege. During his freshman year, Ege was cutting his teeth both in the outfield and on the mound as a two-way player, eventually making a full-time move to the bullpen. He was not a major contributor during his first two years at Louisville and his future seemed uncertain. However, that all changed in the summer between his sophomore and junior years.
Spring Training Midpoint
At the midway point in this years, Major League Spring Training the transactions between the big league clubs and their minor league affiliates have begun in earnest as front offices and coaching staffs whittle down their spring training squads to the 25 man Opening Day rosters. At this point, there are still multiple Cardinal 9 Alumni vying for that opening day spot.
While there are many Cardinal 9 Alumni in the professional ranks, a handful of others are beginning to grow the coaching tree at the collegiate and high school levels. One, in particular, is Aaron Gershenfeld who serves as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at The Citadel. I had the pleasure of serving alongside Gersh for 3 great years before we both began our coaching adventures. Within the first minutes of meeting him, it was apparent that Gersh defined what it means to be a baseball guy. The man eats, sleeps and breathes the game. During the few times, we worked the offseason camps at UofL together, I was witness to the development of a great teacher of the game of baseball. That passion and ability to instruct hitters has led to tremendous success in his young coaching career. Gersh has worked with hitters at The Citadel, East Tennessee State, and Vanderbilt, with his teams putting up tremendous offensive numbers at each stop.
Early 2018 Spring Training Update
(Via AdamLucas Designs)
A Tribute to Todd Esser
(Via AdamLucas Designs)
With the home opener today for the 2018 University of Louisville baseball team, there is a bit of a hole in the stands. Not a literal hole, but a deeper, intangible one. A hole that cannot be replaced, nor should it ever try to be filled. I’m talking about Todd Esser, quite possibly the greatest fan of Cardinal baseball the University has ever seen. That’s not to take away anything from Jim Patterson or the Jurich’s. However, Todd Esser was on a different level of fandom.
